6'9", 24 lbs., 5 Years Old

The Phatwater on the Natchez gauge today is 27.26′.  The rises from last weeks mid-west rains continue to pile up the water here.  Melissa and I took a run up to Rifle Point yesterday, about 1645, and much of the silt had dropped out of the water, although, as with every rise, there was a great deal of drift in the channel.

I’ll be posting a “recommended gear list” later, perhaps today.  I will also be posting some “tips” which will aid in your navigation down this most famous waterway, thick with the hides of Zeuglodons, Alligators, and other exotic and primitive life forms not often seen above  the 31st parallel or west of the 89th meridian.  Featured above is such a creature.

This Eastern Diamondback is five years old and was raised in captivity, then given to Terry Vandeventer, the artist who creates our Phatwater Bowie Knife.  Terry is also a herpetologist, and is seen here handling this large specimen.  The Eastern Diamondback occurs in southeast Mississippi, though is not found in the Phatwater drainage.  So don’t worry, you have a greater chance of stepping on an 1827 $20 gold coin that once belonged to Jim Bowie than one of these guys, while paddling the Phatwater.

Count the boards to get a length estimate. Those are 6Xs

Terry has done much to debunk the myths associated with snakes among Mississippi’s Schoolchildren and Sportsmen.  Through his lecture program and Living Reptile Museum, he expends great effort to educate the public about the ecology and necessity of a balanced ecosystem, which includes preserving a place for the snappier dressed of the two individuals seen here.   To book Terry for one of his programs, call (601) 371-7414.  You’ll get way more than your money’s worth.

Later—KB